Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 for Sunday, August 30, 2015, the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 is a revised continuation of Lectionary Ruminations.  Focusing on The Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the upcoming Sunday from New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, Lectionary Ruminations 2.0 draws on nearly thirty years of pastoral experience.  Believing that the questions we ask are often more important than any answers we find, without overreliance on commentaries I intend with comments and questions to encourage reflection and rumination for readers preparing to teach, preach, or hear the Word. Reader comments are invited and encouraged.  All lectionary links are to the via the PC(USA) Devotions and Readings website.

FOR AN UPDATED AND REVISED VERSION, GO TO THIS LINK

First Reading - Song of Solomon 2:8-13

2:8 Regarding “beloved”, see James 1:19. Who leaps upon the mountains and bounds over the hills?

2:9 Time for a stag party?  Whose wall? Is this stag a peeping Tom?

2:10 Come away where?

2:11 What is so special about the springtime?

2:12 Whose land?

2:13 Look for “fragrance” in Psalm 45:8. I think we have a refrain at the end of this verse.

Psalm - Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

45:1 What is a goodly theme?  Why the king?   Sometimes it is easier to speak than write. See James 1:26 for more about tongues.

45:2 Who is speaking to the king?

45:6 The Psalmist was addressing the king but is now addressing God. What is the significance and symbolism of the royal scepter?

45:7 After addressing God, it seems the Psalmist is again addressing the king. What is the oil of gladness?

45:8 Do you ecall the fragrance of Song of Solomon 2:13? If you wear a robe when you lead worship, is it fragrant?

45:9 What is a lady of honor? What is gold of Ophir?

Second Reading - James 1:17-27

1:17 I am beginning to appreciate Luther wanting to omit James from the canon. I winder where James got the “Father of lights” language,

1:18 Who gave us birth? What is the word of truth?

1:19 Does the use of “beloved” in the NRSV justify pairing this reading with the First Reading? See Song of Solomon 2:8.

1:20 Do you recall any words about anger appearing the lectionary the past few weeks? Does righteous indignation not produce righteousness?

1:21 How do you understand the reference to “the implanted word”?

1:22 While we can “hear” but never “do”, can we “do” without, in some sense, first, or at the same time, “hearing”?

1:23 What are people who look at themselves in a mirror like?

1:24 Is this true in your experience?

1:25 How does “the perfect law” function like a mirror?

1:26 Does this verse invite a comparison of religion to spirituality?

1:27 Is it possible to keep oneself unstained by the world without withdrawing from the world?

Gospel - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

7:1 If they came from Jerusalem, where did they come to? What is the difference between a Pharisee and a scribe?

7:2 What does it mean for something to be defiled?

7:3-4 In the NRSV, these two verses are in parenthesis.  Why?

7:5 Was this an open ended question or one designed to trip up Jesus?

7:6 Was Jesus over reacting? Does this tie into James 1:23-26

7:7 Is any worship ever in vain?    Are not all doctrines nothing but human precepts?

7:8 Which commandment?

7:5-11 These verses could raise an interesting dialectic between our understandings of and reliance on scripture and tradition.  While Protestants might point to the Roman Catholic reliance on tradition as something alien to Protestantism, as I protestant, I readily confess that Protestants often appeal to their tradition but a tradition that is not canonized and often not written down.

7:14 What is the difference between listening and understanding?

7:15 A young child once asked me if it were a sin to poop?  I did not appeal to this text when I answered “no.”

7:21-22 What is the difference between intentions and actions?  Another interesting dialect might be a comparison between ontological and teleological ethics.  Is everything in the list comparable to murder?

7:23 Juxtapose this verse with 7:15. If this is the case, can anyone be undefiled?

ADDENDUM

I am currently serving at the Interim Pastor of The Presbyterian Churchof Cadiz, worshiping at 154 West Market Street, Cadiz, Ohio, every Sunday at 11:00 AM. Please like The Presbyterian Church of Cadiz on facebook.